Stage curtain rigging



Dec. 27, 1938. 1 0Mp s 2,142,063

STAGE CURTAIN RIGGING Filed Dec 17, 1957 InvE NT n11 CHARLES E. T UMPKJNS 1? Mon Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNITED STAT ES PAT ENT O'FF'I C E STAGE CURTAIN RI GGINGi tion of New York Application December 1'7, 1937, Serial No. 180,471

1 Claim.

My invention relates to stage curtain rigging and relates more particularly to a novel means for raising and lowering a stage curtain.

In the stage curtain riggings of the prior art 5, adapted to raise and lower stage curtains, it has been the usual practice to counter-weight the curtain and provide sheaves over which the curtain supporting. ropes are passed, and to provide a pull rope for raising and lowering the curtain. Manually operated rigging is almost universally used in theatres as it is important that the curtain beat all times under the immediate control of the operator. The type of rigging heretofore employed, in the usual installation, required a large amount of room. It was customary and necessary to provide a floor block on the level of the stage floor and a loft block high in the stage loft. Particularly,, in the larger theatres which may have as many as fifty curtains, eachrequiring aseparaterigging, the maze of curtain rigging and the large amount of room required for mounting the curtain rigging was one of the major problems in laying out a stage. An object of my invention is to provide a stage 2 curtain rigging which requires a minimum amount of space.

Another object of my invention is to provide a stage curtain rigging in which the sheaves and ropes are so arranged that the entire rigging v may be mounted above the stage floor whereby both wings of the stage are clear and unobstructed.

My invention further contemplates the provision of a stage curtain rigging adapted to be mounted in a. minimum of space and wherein the pull rope is continuous, and both in raising and lowering the curtain the same length of pull rope is required so that under no conditions of operation is there any necessity for piles of rope on the rigging floor.

More specifically, my invention contemplates the provision of a stage curtain rigging wherein the weight of the curtain is counter-balancedby a movable counter-weight and wherein a con- 5 tinuous pull rope is passed over sheaves, the arrangement of the curtain. supporting. ropes, the sheaves and the pull rope being such that the pull rope is never slack and the counter-weight in raising and lowering the curtain moves only half the distance of the curtain.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a view showing my novel stage rigging and indicating the stage curtain and its supporting ropes.

Figure 2 is a view taken on the line ,2-2" of Figure 1 showing. the details of the counterweight carriage and the sheave blocks mounted on the carriage.

Figure 3 is a view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure L The stage curtain, indicated by the numeral H, is supported by a plurality of curtain sup- 10 porting ropes- I-Z which are secured tothe curtain at spaced intervals along the length of the curtaint In the drawing, 1 have shown four supporting ropes although more or less may be used if desired, depending upon the length of the 15 curtain. The curtain supporting ropes are passed over sheaves l-3supported in sheave blocks M; The sheave blocks M may be supported in the stage: loft on a common sheave block supporting'member indicated by the numeral 16. 0

While I have shown only a single curtain and a single curtain rigging, it will be appreciated that on almost any stage of any size a number of curtains are used. On the most elaborate stages, the number of curtains and consequently 25 the number of curtain riggings required may be as many as fifty.

The curtain supporting ropes l2 are each passed over a sheave I! mounted in a sheave block l8; The sheave block i8 is supported high 30 in the stage loft upon I-beams H9 or any other suitable manner, it being understood that the I-beams l9 support aseries of loft blocks [8, one for each curtain. The'curtain supporting ropes [2, after being passed over the loft sheave ll, 35 extend downward and are passed over sheaves 2| mounted in a movable block 22. From the sheaves 21', the curtain supporting ropes l2 extend upward:- and aresecured. to the loft block it.

The movable block 22 is secured, as indicated 40 at 23; to a counter-weight carriage 2 3 The counter-weight carriage is slidably supported in guides which may be of any suitable type. In the drawing,v I have shown the guides as being mounted on only one side of: the carriage although it will be appreciated that guides. may be provided on bothlsides of'the' carriage. The counter-weight carriage comprises a pair of plates 26 between which extend rods 21 upon which the counter-Weights 28 are mounted. The plates 26 are retained in spaced relation on the rods by nuts 29. The counter-weights may be retained in position on the rods by clamps or collars 3| adjustably secured to the rods in any suitable manner.

The plates 26 are provided with down-turned flanges 32 which are bolted to slide plates 33. The slide plates are provided with grooves 34, as shown in Figure 3, in their opposite lengthwise edges to receive slide guides 36 formed by the vertical edges of a pair of angle plates 31. The angle plates 31 are secured, as indicated at 38, to a bracket 39 which is rigidly secured to the wall or other fixed portion of the theatre. It will be appreciated that the guides 36 extend the required height to enable the counter-weight carriage to move upward and downward the distance required to raise and lower the curtain. Counter-weights 28 are placed in the carriage and secured there- I in until the curtain is counter-balanced. Theoretically, to counter-balance the curtain, the weight of the carriage plus the weight of the sheaves mounted thereon, plus the weight of the counter-weight, should be approximately twice the weight of the curtain. The curtain, as will be apparent, moves twice as fast as the counterweight.

The stage curtains with which we are particularly concerned are quite heavy, some of them weighing as much as three hundred pounds or more, and since the curtains are manually controlled, it is important that the curtain shall be substantially counter-balanced, and it is further important hat the curtain shall be easy to operate in both directions. It is further important that the rope used to raise and lower the curtain shall not, under certain conditions ofoperation, become slack so as to pile up on the floor as it will be appreciated that with a battery of fifty or more curtain riggings mounted just as close together as they can be, that excess rope piled on the rigging floor causes confusion and is liable to become tangled. Accordingly, I have provided a novel arrangement of sheaves and purchase line or pull rope particularly adapted to cooperate with the curtain and counter-weight system above described.

One end of the pull rope 4| is secured, as indicated at 42, to the loft block l8. From the loft block l8, the pull rope extends downward and is passed over a sheave 2| mounted in the movable block 22. After being passed around the sheave 2|, the pull rope 4| extends upward and is passed over a sheave I! in the loft block |8. The pull rope then extends downward and is passed over a sheave 44. The sheave 44 is mounted in a floor block 46 rigidly secured, as indicated at 41, to the rigging floor. The pull rope 4| then extends upward and is passed over a sheave 48 mounted in a movable block 49. The movable block 49 is secured, as indicated at 5 I, to the bottom of the counter-weight carriage vl4. After being passed over the sheave 48, the pull rope 4| extends downward and has its end secured, as indicated at 52, to the floor block 46.

Suitable means, as indicated at 53, not necessary to be described herein since it constitutes no part of my present invention, may be provided for locking the pull rope in any desired position so that the curtain will be retained in the desired position.

It will now be apparent that with the curtain counter-balanced, upon pulling downward on the pull rope 4|, the counter-weight is raised and the curtain lowered. Upon pulling upward on the pull rope 4|, the curtain is raised and the counter-weight lowered. Preferably, in setting up the rigging, counter-weights are placed in the carriage until the downward pull required on the pull rope to lower the curtain is substantially the same as the upward pull required on the pull rope to raise the curtain. It will be appreciated that the only pull required to raise or lower the curtain is sufiicient force to overcome the friction in the system.

It will further be appreciated that the counterweight moves only half as far as the curtain and that therefore the entire rigging may be raised above the level of the stage floor and placed in a loft so that both wings of the stage are entirely clear of obstructions. It will further be appreciated that the pull rope is continuous and that an upward movement of the sheave block 22 so as to shorten the length of the rope required is compensated for by an upward movement of the sheave block 49 so as to lengthen the rope required a. corresponding amount. The opposite occurs when the sheave block 22 is moved downward. Under all conditions, no slack and, therefore, no accumulation of rope on the floor can occur.

It will be appreciated that I have provided a novel stage curtain rigging which is easy to operate and which occupies a considerably smaller space than the usual stage curtain rigging. It will further be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made in the form and relation of parts and the arrangement of sheaves without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claim.

I claim:

In a stage curtain rigging adapted to raise and lower the curtain, a fixed loft block having sheaves around which the curtain supporting ropes are passed, a counter-weight carriage having guides in which the carriage is slidable, a block secured to said carriage and having sheaves around which the curtain supporting ropes are passed from the loft block sheaves, said curtain supporting ropes having their ends secured to the loft block, and means for raising and lowering the counter-weight to lower and raise the curtain comprising a floor block having a sheave, a second block having a sheave secured to said carriage and a continuous pull rope having one end fixed in the loft block passed around a sheave in the first mentioned block on said carriage, then passed upward around a sheave in the loft block, then extending downward and passed around a sheave in the floor block and then extending upward and passed around a sheave in the second block on the carriage and then extending downward and secured to the floor block, and said carriage carrying counter-weights of such weight that the curtain is substantially counter-balanced so that the pull on the pull rope in raising the curtain is substantially equal to the pull on the pull rope required to lower the curtain.

CHARLES E. TOMPKINS. 

